We cannot tell you what category your work fits into best; it is against the contest guidelines.  Part of the challenge of the competition is learning to identify the strongest elements of your work and deciding what category will best allow your piece to win or place.

Yes, as long as you and your collaborator enter ONE application together and both you and your collaborator are acknowledged in the “Name” section of the application.

Yes, contact Erin Hartz at erinh@rosengrp.com to do this.

No, the application can be filled out online only.  If you are having difficulty submitting digital images please contact Erin Hartz for help at erinh@rosengrp.com.

You could enter either the professional or student competition.  If you enter as a student, the work you submit must have been produced during your time as a student (within the past year).  If you enter as a professional, the work you submit must be what you had been selling prior to your enrollment in school (within the past year).

There are often multiple categories your work will fit into.  Identify the essential elements of your work; the aspects of a piece that have required the most skill or are the most unique.   Now match these elements to a category.  You want your work to stand out and identifying a piece’s strongest elements will help you do just that.  So for example if you make glass sculpture but use metal supports, you might want to enter your piece into a glass category instead of metal.

We cannot tell you what category your work fits into best; it is against the contest guidelines.  Part of the challenge of the competition is learning to identify the strongest elements of your work and deciding what category will best allow your piece to win or place.

We cannot advise you on entering; it is against the contest guidelines.  It is up to you to identify what pieces to enter and where to enter them.

The essential elements of a piece should fit a category.  For example, if you are an artist who creates paper sculptures but uses a steel frame to support your piece, you would qualify as a paper artist or a metal artist.  Whatever element of your work you want to be evaluated by contest criteria is how you should match your work to a category.  If you are proud of the detail of your steel frame, enter the metal category; if you think your use of paper to create texture is the most impressive part of your piece, enter the paper category.

When deciding whether or not to enter the NICHE Awards it is always helpful to look at the winners and finalists from the previous year.  The competition recognizes achievements of skill and creativity in all craft mediums; therefore, the monetary value of your work should not be considered.  Enter the competition if you feel that your work is a high quality representation of the medium with which you work.

Every year there are many artists who work in a 2D format who enter.  For example, we have scroll work submitted in Judaica, paper carvings submitted in Paper, etc.  We do not encourage painters to enter the competition as our contest is designed to represent the decorative arts. While many of our craft artists submit one-of-a-kind works, the issue with painting is that one of the criteria we judge the contest on, skill, is to subjective when it is paired with paintings.

No, part of the criteria on which submissions are judged is skill level.  It would be impossible to accurately judge skill level when a piece has yet to be executed.  The skill level is based on execution not the design itself.  The design is judged on the criteria of creativity and marketability.

Yes, you may submit work into the student contest for up to a year after you graduated.  The work you submit, however, must have been produced during your time as a student.

You are not considered a student if you are taking art classes outside of a degree, certificate, or accredited program.  You do not need to be a full-time student, but you must be in a program which is working toward a recognized end; this could be through a craft school or college.

 Yes, you may enter work produced you produced while within the USA or Canada.  The competition seeks to recognize the achievements of American and Canadian schools and their students.

You are not required to display your work at the Buyers Market; the exhibit is simply an added value to you placing in the competition.  If you display your work, you must be there to drop it off and pick it up.  If you would like to display your work but cannot attend or have sold your piece, you may mail in a frame picture (these will not be returned).

You could enter either the professional or student competition.  If you enter as a student, the work you submit must have been produced during your time as a student (within the past year).  If you enter as a professional, the work you submit must be what you had been selling prior to your enrollment in school (within the past year).

While it is the work itself which is judged, not the picture of the work, it is still VERY important to have professional quality photographs.  The pictures you submit are what we will use to put in NICHE magazine if you place; you should consider the photos you submit ads for your work.

No, you may only submit three photographs, each of a different piece of work.  The photo you submit will be enlarged for judging so detail work can be seen.  Make note in the comments section if there is a specific detail you would like judges to make note of.  Composite shots are allowed, so if you have a SINGLE image which has a detail shot included within it,that is permissible.

Yes, contact Erin Hartz at erinh@rosengrp.com to do this.

Photos should not be altered to the point that the picture submitted becomes an inaccurate representation of the piece.  Photoshopping the background of an image in acceptable; as well as lightening or darkening the overall photo, using red-eye erasers on models, and other like alterations are appropriate.  Changing the shape of a piece, adding reflection, digitally retouching the texture, and like alterations are NOT acceptable.

No, we do not disqualify you for using a model.  Keep in mind the photo you submit is the photo which will be used in NICHE magazine if you win.  Sometimes a model will be necessary to show the functionality of a piece (such as to model a scarf), but using a model when a model is not essential to displaying the piece is distracting; it takes away from a piece when it is in print.  We especially warn against using a model for jewelry.

No, attendance at the awards ceremony is not a requirement.  Winners are decided ahead of the ceremony and being absent at the Buyers Market will not affect standing in the competition.  If you win, a trophy and winners' information will be shipped to you if you are not there to collect it.

Both the professional and student competition begin May 15^th of each year. The contest  runs until September 30th for both professionals and students.

You may contact Erin Hartz at erinh@rosengrp.com  You are welcome to the web logo (it is great publicity to include on your site) as a winner or a finalist.

You may contact Erin Hartz at erinh@rosengrp.com.

You are not required to display your work at the Buyers Market; the exhibit is simply an added value to you placing in the competition.  If you display your work, you must be there to drop it off and pick it up.  If you would like to display your work but cannot attend or have sold your piece, you may mail in a frame picture (these will not be returned).